>> nice to talk to somebody. >> reporter: it's nice tok some? anymore. to >> reporter: robertme has b dwaterhe ten days. he has lived here for 42 years, and hurricane katricuated for. >> i was expecting water, but i wasn't expecting this kind of water. >> reporter: why didn't you leave for this one? >> good question. why didn't i? i don't know. me and my son decided to stay. you know? just hang around. >> reporter: his home is eight feet off the ground, and the water came within a foot of flooding it. >> that's how high the water got up right here. >> reporter: he rode out the hurricane at his mother-in-law's house right next door. it used to be here, but this the aftermath of the storm, floodwater lifted it off of its foundation and moved it nearly ten yards. >> you know, there is nothing that hurt me more to see my mother-in-law's house float away.

it's pretty rough. >> reporter: just down the street from here about a mile is where we met 77-year-old earl trish. >> holding this, holding that for more than three hours. keeping the wind and rain down somewhat. the wind would blow so hard, it would blow me back. >> reporter: his home is high and dry. his wife evacuated, but he refused to. he had a heart attack five months ago, and when we met him, he had just run out of his heart medication. so his neighbor lisa went and got it for him. >> got your prescriptions. >> that's the main thing i'm after. >> reporter: when we drove through barataria, we saw so many people who had their personal belongings soaked. this man want us to see his horse that had run away from a hurricane and was now a mile down the road standing at someone's front door because it was dry there. around here, pets are treated as

well as people, which brings us back to robert gonzalo and thor. >> hi, buddy! >> reporter: he says thor is the only reason he is still son alr. as for whether he is going to stick around for another storm the size of ida -- >> it will never happen again. >> reporter: never again. 11 storm-related deaths here in the state of louisiana. nine of them have been heat-related. no power means no air conditioning, and the good folks here in barataria have been told it will probably be the end of it will probably be the end of the month before they get their when i get a migraine, i shut out the world. but with nurtec odt that's all behind me now. nurtec can now treat and prevent migraines. don't take if allergic to nurtec. the most common side effects were nausea, stomach pain, and indigestion. ask your doctor about nurtec today. (clicking sound) hear that? nausea, stomach pain, and indigestion. ♪ ♪ that's dove's first aluminum-free refillable deodorant

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it's comfortable and lasts a long time. dove men, 48h freshness with triple action moisturizers. tomorrow marks a grim milestone for our nation. 20 years since the terror attacks of 9/11. this morning, we're paying tribute to the heroes of that day. they ran into danger at the world trade center so that others might live. 343 new york city firefighters died on september 11th, and that does not include the more than 250 who have died from illnesses related to the attack since. tony dokoupil has a story of one of new york city's bravest, and his sons who carry on his legacy. >> it's 8:52 here in new york. i'm bryant gumbel. we understand there has been a plane crash on the southern tip of manhattan. >> reporter: 20 years ago this week -- >> oh my god, another plane has

just hit another building. >> reporter: after the worst terror attack in american history, the best of america rushed in to help. >> and that's what the guys are taught. >> reporter: joe and chuck downey knew their father, ray downey, would be among them. did a part you have hope maybe there was a chance your father wasn't there in the mix? >> i thought that. >> yeah. i said even if he was home, he would have been heading in. >> he would have been there no matter what. >> reporter: sure enough, a film crew happened to capture deputy chief downey that morning, coordinating rescues in the lobby of the north tower. raymond matthew downey sr. knew the dangers that day perhaps better than anyone. >> hello, my name is ray downey senior. >> reporter: he developed trainings in technical rescue, meaning he was an expert in pulling people from collapsed buildings. >> he went to every major disaster in the city or pretty much in the country at that time. >> reporter: after a truck bomb leveled the federal building in

oklahoma city in 1995, downey led the search for survivors. and when it came to saving lives, he had a nickname as big as his reputation. >> someone said oh, yeah, you sit next to god on the way in. i said who's god? oh, yeah, they refer to your dad that way sometimes. wow, that's pretty impressive. they saw how we operated at fires, conducted himself at emergencies, and he just was always in charge. >> reporter: so the downey brothers knew where their father would be that day. >> he fought right here on west street because that's where we found his car. >> reporter: and they knew he wouldn't leave, no matter what. >> he had that mentality. he wasn't leaving until he could save as many people as possible. >> reporter: even as the towers burned above him, even as he knew exactly what could happen. were you angry when you found out he wasn't coming home? >> maybe a little angry at first. but then as it went on, more proud that you can give your life. you talk about it all the time,

and not many people do that, consciously give their life for others. and he did it that day. i think it's just fitting who he was and the person that he was, that he would do that. >> reporter: ray downey is buried on new york's long island, not far from where his children grew up in a home now lined with tributes and awards. >> i haven't seen these in a long time. >> reporter: a flip through some family photos reveals some of the risks he faced every day. >> reporter: oh, wow coming out of the fire? >> yes. >> he is sweating and he didn't really use his mask much. >> trying to breathe. >> reporter: so you may wonder, as we did, how his wife rosalee feels about two of her sons following in ray's footsteps. >> very proud. i couldn't be more proud. and i tell them all the time, your father is really smiling up there. i know it. >> reporter: chuck downey is now a deputy chief, like his father, ad joe, a battalion chief, works in his dad's old

firehouse. this is your fire up here in the left? >> yes. >> reporter: where ray still has a presence. >> you always refer back to ray downey. you really do. >> reporter: but 20 years later, the downey brothers worry the rest of us might still need a remind other telephone sacrifices made by their father and the 342 other firefighters who went into those buildings that day and never came out. >> it's easy to forget. everybody says we're never going to forget. they use that term. but a lot of people do forget. and i'm not foughting them. if they're not personally connected, you could forget. >> reporter: yeah. >> so just that alone i think is part of the reason we want to give back and carry his name. and i think that goes in every firehouse. guys were friends with people that passed, and they want to keep that person's legacy alive because of their sacrifices. >> tony dokoupil reporting there. now many of the families of those killed on 9/11 are still demanding answers from the u.s. government. 15 of the 19 hijackers were saudi nationals, and many family members believe there is a connection between saudi leaders and the attackers.

last week, president biden ordered the review and possible release of classified documents related to 9/11. among them, a ten-year still secret investigation into the possible role of saudi arabia. catherine herridge has more on this. >> reporter: this summer, brett eagleson went to capitol hill to press the u.s. government to release secret files from the fbi's final case. >> we've told the sad story for 19 years. we've cried on camera. >> reporter: eagleson's father bruce work and died in the south tower of the world trade center. now grief has turned to rage. >> it's not about that anymore. it's about how we're angry. we're pissed off. >> it is painful. >> reporter: the eaglesons and other 9/11 families want details of a secret fbi investigation code named operation encorehija that lived in san diego. >> it's a ten-year-long investigation that specifically

targeted the role that the kingdom of saudi arabia played in supporting the hijackers. >> is that the first mosque they went to in san diego? >> this is it here right on our left. >> reporter: danny gonzales was an fbi agent who worked on operation encore. he showed us the neighborhood the hijackers lived in before they crashed american airlines flight 77 into the pentagon. this is gonzale's first television interview about the case. >> 19 hijackers cannot commit 3,000 mass murders by themselves. >> reporter: based on what you found, do you believe there was a domestic support network for the hijackers? >> obviously. >> reporter: no question? >> but i can't comment on it. you don't have to be an fbi agent with 26 years of experience to figure that out. >> reporter: gonzalez says the two hijackers were helped by a number of saudis, including omar

al biumi. biumi worked for the saudi government in california and said he simply ran into the two hijackers a at a restaurant in los angeles and encouraged them to move to san diego. >> and that is the building he lived in. >> reporter: there he helped them find an apartment and open a bank account. the two hijackers even started flight school nearby. >> can't sit on the sidelines when i know the truth. >> reporter: gonzalez says he is under fbi orders not to talk about certain aspects of operation encore because of national security concerns, as is another former agent ken williams, who wrote a memo before 9/11 warning terrorists were taking flight lessons in arizona. both men are now working as investigators for the families. >> the evidence is there. i've seen it. but i can't get into the specifics because of a protective order. >> reporter: in a statement the saudis said they had nothing to do with this terrible crime and they support the full declassification of any documents. under president biden's

executive order, some of the secret files must be reviewed by saturday. the 20th anniversary of the attacks. >> we are writing history as we when my daughter goes t taught , that we get it

to some, the best way to decompress is to hit the waves. carter evans joined them. >> reporter: first time surfers usually spend most of their time tumbling in the white water. but with each wipeout, these ten southern california health care workers are washing way pandemic stress. nurse daniel works 12-hour shifts at torrance memorial hospital. >> it's been exhausting, physically and mentally. every day after work, i catch myself thinking about work and the patients and what we could have done better.

>> reporter: his prescription today -- >> hi, my name is dan. >> reporter: surf therapy. >> it's almost like six to eight months of therapy in about two or three hours. >> reporter: therapist sou isea the session. >> we're constantly projecting into the future what may or may not happen. and that's w anxty lives. >> when you're paddling away -- >> you are right here and right now. >> reporter: the wipeouts are soon followed by smiles and cheers. and before long, these new students are starting to become surfers. >> and you still got this big smile on your face. >> oh, yeah. yeah. >> i just got done working three 12-hour shifts in a row. >> reporter: and you look pretty comfortable over there. >> it takes away everything. >> reporter: it turns out a turbulent ocean can calm the mind. carter evans, cbs news, los angeles. >> and that is the "overnight news" for this friday. for some of you, the news

continues. for everyone else, check back later for "cbs mornings." gayle, tony and nate are coming to your me froe brand new rk's t reporting from the nation's capital, i'm errol barnett. good morning. this is cbs news flash. i'm elise preston in new york. air travelers who refuse to wear masks on planes could face up to $3,000 fines starting today. mask mandates also apply to trains, buses, and other forms of public transportation until mid-january. the u.s. experienced the hottest summer on record. according to noaa, more than 18% of the contiguous u.s. reached extreme or record-breaking temperatures from june through august. at one point, more than 200 million americans were under heat advisories. doja cat is set to host the

2021 mtv music video awards this weekend. she'll also perform at sunday's show, taking place at the barclay center and welcome backing back a live audience this year. for more news, download the cbs news app on your cell phone, or connected tv. i' elise preston, cbs ws, new york. it's friday, september 10th, 2021. this is the "cbs morning news." >> this is a pandemic of the unvaccinated. >> sweeping mandates. president biden targets people who are not vaccinated against covid. his plan and the pushback it's getting. breaking overnight, active shooter scare. an air force base goes into lockdown for hours after two people reported hearing a gunshot on campus. marking 9/11. the nation will honor those killed in the terror attacks 20 years ago. what some americans are calling

what some americans are calling for amid a divided country. captioning funded by cbs good morning.